Non-spillable nail polish applicator



July 27, 1965 D. c. BROWN NON-SPILLABLE NAIL POLISH APPLICATOR Filed July 25, 1962 INVENTOR. DAVID C. BROWN BY United States Patent 3,196,886 NON-SPILLABLE NAIL POLISH APPLECATOR David C. Brown, 30 Smith St., Babylon, Suffolk County, N.Y. Filed July 25, 1962, Ser. No. 212,329 2 Claims. (Cl. 132--79) This invention relates to a liquid applicator, and more particularly to a non-spillable applicator for applying nail polish.

The conventional nail polish applicator and container comprises a glass bottle filled with nail polish and closed by cap having a brush attached thereto which normally extends into the bottle and is immersed in the polish therein. However, the conventional nail polish applicator and container possess many disadvantages. For example, since it is primarily constructed of glass, it is easily subject to breakage and chipping. If the glass container is broken, the nail polish therein obviously creates a mess and often creates a non-removable stain on clothing, furniture etc. During use, the bottle of the conventional nail polish applicator may be easily tipped over when the brush is inserted or removed therefrom, thereby permitting the contents of the bottle to be spilled. Also, since the container of a conventional nail polish applicator is not sealed during use, the polish therein tends to theicken due to evaporation after a period of time.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of my invention to provide a nail polish applicator which is a substantial improvement over the conventional applicator and eliminates the aforesaid disadvantages.

More specifically, it is another object of the invention to provide nail polish applicator that is composed of unbreakable material.

It is another object of the invention to provide a nail polish applicator containing a supply of nail polish and is so designed that the polish will not spill from the applicator when tipped or in an inverted position.

It is another object of the invention to provide a nail polish applicator which is always sealed and thereby prevents the polish therein from thickening due to evaporation.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a nail polish applicator Which is much simpler to use than conventional applicators since the brush thereof is always automatically maintained saturated with polish and thereby eliminates the steps of inserting and removing a brush into and from a polish container as is the common practice when using conventional applicators.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide improved nail polish applicator that is extremely compact, light in Weight, and thereby may be easily carried in a purse, handbag or pocket for instant use at any time.

It is still yet another object of the invention to provide nail polish applicator that is simple in design, requires a minimum of parts, and is therefore extremely economical to manufacture, and is reliable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention with parts thereof shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the center of FIG. 1 and showing the cap installed on the container thereof.

The preferred form of my improved finger-nail polish applicator is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and comprises a container or reservoir having cylindrical side walls 12 closed at their ends, and circular bottom and top walls 14 and 16 respectively.

An exhaust aperture 18 is formed axially through the 3,1963% Patented July 27, 1965 center of the top wall 16 and is normally closed by a simple check or flap valve 20. The flap valve 20 comprises a generally rectangular thin flexible strip of material bonded at one end to the upper surface of the wall 16 and having an arcuate end larger than and extending over the exhaust aperture 18.

A cylindrical neck 22 comprising a circular sleeve is secured at one end to the upper surface of the wall 16 and is concentric with the bore 18 and cylindrical side wall 12.

An applicator brush-24 of circular cross section constituting a porous flexible applicating means is secured within the upper portion of the neck 22 and comprises a plurality of flexible bristles 26 extending generally parallel to the axis of the cylindrical container 10. The bristles comprising the brush are held closely adjacent one another and in assembled relationnship by an annular band 28. Although the band holds the bristles snugly adjacent to one another, the hand must be applied with sufiicient looseness to prevent the spaces between the bristles from being closed. Since the bristles are preferably of circular cross section, it is apparent that they may be quite tightly compressed together by the band and yet be provided with longitudinal passages therebetween so that nail polish may be forced through the passages.

The inner circular wall of the neck 22 is provided With an annular groove of rectangular cross section which receives the band 28 and thereby secures the band and bristles 26 to the neck 22. It is to be noted that the lower ends of the bristles 26 all terminate in a common plane generally parallel to the wall 16 While the upper ends of the bristles are formed in a conical shape so that the brush 24 terminates in a point 30.

The outer side surfaces of the neck 22 are provided with conventional screw threads 32.

The brush 24 is normally enclosed by a cylindrical cap 34 which has a cylindrical inner chamber provided with threads that mate with the threads 32 whereby the cap may be screwed onto the neck 22 into abutting and sealing relationship with the Wall 16 so as to seal the brush 24 from the atmosphere. The upper end of the chamber within the cap 34 is of conical configuration and symmetrical with the conical end of the brush 24. However, when this cap is screwed into position as shown in FIG. 2, the walls of the conical chamber within the cap are just contacting or slightly spaced from the conical end of the brush 24 thereby assuring that a minimum of air will be within the cap when the applicator is not in use thereby preventing excess drying of the brush.

The entire applicator is com-posed of a flexible material such as polyethylene or nylon. This material permits the container 10 to be easily squeezed for forcing liquid nail polish 36 therefrom, and also permit-s the flap valve 20 and bristles 26 to have the desired resiliency and flexibility.

The bristles 26 are coated with a silicone compound to prevent the polish 36 from adhering thereto. The flap valve 20 and interior of the cap 34 may also be coated with silicone material to prevent adhesion of the nail polish thereto In order to use the nail polish applicator, it is only necessary to remove the cap 34 and manually squeeze or compress the cylindrical side walls 12 of container 10 so as to force the flap valve 20 open and the polish through the spaces between the bristles 26 so as to saturate the outer surface of the brush. The nail polish then may be applied in an obvious manner merely by moving the brush 24 over the surface to be coated.

After the operator releases or reduces the compressing pressure on the side walls 12, the inherent resiliency of the container 10 tends to cause it to expand to its original cylindrical shape. However, this causes a decrease in "through the aperture 18.

It is also to be noted that the applicator may be used in any position (even in an inverted position) with the cap 34 removed, since nail polish cannot be spilled from the container and may only be expelled therefrom by forcibly squeezing or collapsing the side walls there-of.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the motes and bounds of the claims or that from their functional as Well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by those claims.

I claim:

1. A nail polish applicator comprising a container composed of a flexible plastic material selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyethylene, said container including a thin and flexible annular side wall means and having a central axis and axially spaced circular end walls integrally secured to opposite ends of said side wall means so as to define a chamber and seal the same, a quantity of liquid fingernail polish in said chamber, a tubular neck concentric about said axi and integrally secured to one of said end walls so as to project axially outwardly from said chamber, an applicator brush comprising a plurality of plastic bristles each of substantially circular cross section, said brush having a cylindrical inner portion telescopically and snuggly fitting within a cylindrical passage through said neck, an annular band encircling said cylindrical inner portion and compressing said bristles together, an annular recess formed in the inner surface of said neck and containing said band, said recess and band having substantially the same cross sectional size and shape so that substantially the entire outer surface of the cylindrical inner portion of said brush may contact the inner surface of said neck, said one end wall having an aperture therethrough connecting said chamber with the passage through said neck, a flexible flap extending over the axially outer end of said aperture and having an edge portion secured to said one end wall so that said flap functions as a check valve to normally seal said chamber and yet permit flow of the nail polish therefrom, said brush including a conical end projecting axially from said neck, a cylindrical cap threaded onto said neck and having a conical recess receiving said conical end portion of said brush, said conical recess being substantially completely filled with said conical end portion of said brush so that said cap contains a minimum of air, and a silicone compound coating said plastic bristles, flap valve and interior of said cap to prevent adhesion of the nail polish thereto.

2. A nail polish applicator comprising a container composed of a flexible plastic material, said container including a thin and flexible side wall means and axially spaced end walls integrally secured to opposite ends of said side wall means so as to define a chamber and seal the same, a quantity of liquid fingernail polish in said chamber, a tubular neck integrally secured to one of said side walls so as to project outwardly from said chamber, an applicator brush comprising a plurality of plastic bristles each of substantially circular cross section, said brush having a cylindrical inner portion telescopically and snugly fitting within a cylindrical passage through said neck, an annular band encircling said cylindrical inner portion and compressing said bristles together, an annular recess formed in the inner surface of said neck and containing said band, said recess and band having substantially the same cross sectional size and shape so that substantially the entire outer surface of the cylindrical inner surface of said neck, said one end wall having an aperture therethrough connecting said chamber with the passage through said neck, a flexible flap extending over the axially outer end of said aperture and having an edge portion secured to said one end wall so that said fiap functions as a check valve to normally seal said chamber and yet permit flow of the nail polish therefrom, said brush including a conical end projecting axially from said neck, a cylindrical cap threaded onto said neck and having a conical recess receiving said conical end portion of said brush, said conical recess being substantially completely filled with said conical end portion of said brush so that said cap contains a minimum of air, and a silicone compound coating said plastic bristles, flat valve and interior of said cap to prevent adhesion of the nail polish thereto.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 359,527 3/1887 Wirz 132-792 1,349,517 8/20 Lukaszewski 15-541 2,531,482 11/50 Starr 300-21 2,659,919 11/53 McCabe et al. 15-542 2,665,443 1/54 Simon.

2,905,956 9/59 Fuller et a1 15-504 2,913,747 11/59 Hempel 15-565 2,994,897 8/61 Snable 15-543 3,015,836 1/62 Maynier et a1 15-543 FOREIGN PATENTS 583,203 10/58 Italy. 1,153,025 9/57 France. 1,207,758 9/59 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. 

2. A NAIL POLISH APPLICATOR COMPRISING A CONTAINER COMPOSED OF A FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL, SAID CONTAINER INCLUDING A THIN AND FLEXIBLE SIDE WALLS MEANS AND AXIALLY SPACED END WALLS INTEGRALLY SECURED TO OPPPSITE ENDS OF SAID SIDE WALL MEANS SO AS TO DEFINE A CHAMBER AND SEAL THE SAME, A QUANTITY OF LIQUID FINGERNAIL POLISH IN SAID CHAMBER, A TUBULAR NECK INTEGRALLY SECURED TO ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS SO AS TO PROJECT OUTWARDLY FROM SAID CHAMBER, AN APPLICATOR BRUSH COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF PLASTIC BRISTLES EACH OF SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR CROSS SECTION, SAID BRUSH HAVING A CYLINDRICAL INNER PORTION TELESCOPICALLY AND SNUGLY FITTING WITH A CYLINDRICAL PASSAGE THROUGH SAID NECK, AN ANNULAR BAND ENCIRCLING SAID CYLINDRICAL INNER PORTION AND COMPRESSING SAID BRISTLES TOGETHER, AN ANNULAR RECESS FORMED IN THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID NECK AND CONTAINING SAID BAND, SAID RECESS AND BAND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME CROSS SECTIONAL SIZE AND SHAPE SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE OUTER SURFACE OF THE CYLINDRICAL INNER SURFACE F SAID NECK, SAID ONE END WALL HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH CONNECTING SAID CHAMBER WITH THE PASSAGE THROUGH SAID NECK, A FLEXIBLE FLAP EXTENDING OVER THE AXIALLY OUTER END OF SAID APERTURE AND HAVING AN EDGE PORTION SECURED TO SAID ONE END WALL SO THAT SAID FLAP FUNCTIONS AS A CHECK VALVE TO NORMALLY SEAL SAID CHAMBER AND YET PERMIT FLOW OF THE NAIL POLISH THEREFROM, SAID BRUSH INCLUDING A CONICAL END PROKECTING AXIALLY FROM SAID NECK, A CYLINDRICAL CAP THREADED ONTO SAID NECK AND HAVING A CONICAL RECESS RECEVIING SAID CONICAL END PORTION OF SAID BRUSH, SAID CONICAL RECESS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY FILLED WITH SAID CONICAL END PORTION OF SAID BRUSH SO THAT SAID CAP COATING SAID PLASTIC BRISTLES, FLAT VALVE AND INTERIOR OF SAID CAP TO PREVENT ADHESION OF THE NAIL POLISH THERETO. 